Harris Vancouver 36 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a Harris Vancouver 36 means chasing a rare bird: only 13 were built between 1977 and the late 1980s, across two Sarasota builders, and some left the factory as bare hull-deck kits. The Harris name distinguishes this design from the later UK Tony Taylor Vancouver 36, so confirm the Robert B. Harris provenance before any offer.
Layouts on the Used Market
Surviving boats reflect three factory completion states — kit, engine-installed, or ready-to-sail — so interior finish quality varies by who finished the work. The typical plan centers on long-range cruising with only four berths: a bow stateroom with port double, a port workbench, an ensuite head with shower, and main-cabin settee and pilot berths. A starboard aft galley with three-burner stove and 12-cubic-foot icebox, a port nav station, and a cabin fireplace are signature touches. Forward and aft sail lockers, a wet locker, and a 2-inch cabin sole speak to serious voyaging rather than weekend accommodation.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Most boats on the used market are commonly fitted with a watermaker, inverter, and the canvas and sail-handling gear for a spinnaker or asymmetric spinnaker, reflecting circumnavigation intent. Hot water, radar, AIS, autopilot, and a chartplotter are also commonly fitted. For a buyer, the energy cluster — inverter and watermaker — means independent days at anchor, while the navigation cluster (radar, AIS, chartplotter, autopilot) signals a boat already wired for ocean passages rather than coastal hops.
What to Inspect
The 35-horsepower Volvo MD17C diesel was described by reviewer Richard Jordan as woefully underpowered for a boat of this 18,000-pound displacement, so assess whether a previous owner has repowered or simply tolerated sluggish docking. Beyond that, confirm the completion state: a kit-finished example may hide amateur joinery or undocumented systems behind an otherwise sound hull. The stepped cabin trunk and perforated aluminum toe rail are period features reviewer Richard Jordan noted, worth checking for corrosion at fastenings.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Harris Vancouver 36 boats are found in the United States market. For a buyer, the short list is: verify Harris (not Taylor) provenance; establish whether the boat was factory-complete or owner-finished; check the engine against the known underpower complaint; and confirm the circumnavigation-grade equipment is operational rather than cosmetic.
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
7 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hallberg-Rassy Varvs AB 36 | 35.66' | $ 123,109 | 69 | 18 |
| Tayana Vancouver 42 | 41.75' | $ 119,948 | 50 | 12 |
| Rustler Yachts 36 | 35.33' | $ 101,948 | 30 | 8 |
| Westerly Conway 36 | 35.75' | $ 43,695 | 28 | 10 |
| Creswell Marine 36 | 36' | $ 39,420 | 19 | 1 |
| Ericson 36 C | 36' | $ 36,000 | 13 | 3 |
| Cape George 36 | 36' | $ 89,500 | 9 | 1 |